Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC, Red or Gold ring?

I'm looking to buy the above lens but there seem to be two versions. One has a red ring and one has a gold ring. I'm aware that this lens is also sold as Bower, Rokinon and Walimex, but the lenses I'm looking at are both made and branded as Samyang.

The Photozone review shows the lens with a gold ring and suggests the sharpness to be amazing for the price.

Is one version better than the other or doesn't it matter?

Is one version newer than the other?

Any help is much appreciated.

To the extent of my knowledge those should be the same lens. Mine has a red ring and has been fantastic.

My Samyang has a gold ring. It's a very nice quality lens indeed.
--
Steve

Mine is the Rokinon branded one with a red ring and is terrific. Maybe the ring color has more to do with where they are sold than with model differentiation. All of these lenses are made by Samyang, but depending on where they are marketed they have a different brand name. In the USA we have the Rokinon brand, in Europe it is Samyang, etc.

I've read that the red ring (at least on the Rokinon branded lenses) signifies the latest update. But then again a lot of what I have read about these lenses is just incorrect internet gibberish. There are a lot of self-proclaimed experts on the internet who don't know their backsides from a hole in the ground. Just because someone has a blog doesn't mean they know what they are talking about!

Thanks for your comments, it's put my mind at rest about the lens

How is the coma on this lens? Do the stars in the corners and edge of the image look like seagulls?

WildImages

WildImages said:

How is the coma on this lens? Do the stars in the corners and edge of the image look like seagulls?

WildImages

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Check this pic out, taken with my Samyang 14mm wide open.

No seagulls here.







--
Steve

Here is one from my Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 wide open. There is a little bit of coma, but not much.







--
Jack Swinden
An astrophotography hobbyist and amateur radio instructor and examiner. Sony a7 and Sony a6000. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackswinden/

Red should be the cine version.

Bower is no longer affiliated with Samyang optics and are cheap Chinese knock offs. I found out the hard way. I would trust only Samyang or Rokinon, but even then you can often get a bad copy. Although, I had amazing luck with the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 for my Fuji X-T1. It was super crisp at all apertures, no coma, nano coating.

sharpling said:

Red should be the cine version.

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Incorrect. All newer Samyang or Rokinon lenses regardless of cine or regular have red rings.

There's no coma of what I can spot, but some startrailing is present as suspected in the corners. You also have a slight decentered lens. Not much but still. You can see it on the upper left corner where the stars are more like bubbles and out of focus compared to the right upper corner.



/Stefan

W5JCK said:

Here is one from my Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 wide open. There is a little bit of coma, but not much.



--
Jack Swinden
An astrophotography hobbyist and amateur radio instructor and examiner. Sony a7 and Sony a6000. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackswinden/

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